Sometimes the sound quality of a recording is less important than the performance. That"s the case with these two classics of the phonograph, recorded in 1938. Since its first publication, Furtwängler"s "Pathétique" has been recognized as a unique achievement, bringing out the full emotional quality of the music without ever veering off into sentimentality or eccentricity. It"s one of those performances when everything goes right, amazing in the continuity of its effect, especially since it was recorded in four-minute takes on 78 rpm discs. The Wagner performance is no less remarkable. Ideally we might wish for more detailed, less richly rounded sound quality, but restorer Mark Obert-Thorn has given us better sound than these recordings have exhibited before, and it"s fascinating to read his brief comments and the number of copies of each record he used (five!) If you love this music, no matter what other performances you"ve heard, you will still find something new and valuable in this CD, which is worth much more than it costs. --Leslie Gerber